Watkins plans building improvements

WATKINS GLEN—The Watkins Glen Village municipal building will receive some improvements. New front windows were put in place last week, as part of a contract with Montour Glass. A new $60,000 furnace was added as well.
More improvements to the building will also take place, after the Watkins Glen Village Board adopted a bond resolution to authorize reconstruction and construction of the building at their regular meeting Monday, Dec. 21, 2009,
By approving the bond resolution it allows the village to be able to borrow up to $1,160,705 for the renovations of the village municipal building, for the next 25 years. This is, however, only the first step of the process. “It is a 90 day or more process,” Village Clerk Donna Beardsley said.
After authorization of the resolution, it then has to be posted, and then there is a referendum period, and finally another posting. Beardsley predicts all the finalization and paperwork will not be done until the beginning of February 2010. This also means that the renovations and improvements will not get started until the spring, around March 2010.
This bond will provide improvements to the village municipal building, along with other improvements in connection including, preliminary work, necessary equipment, materials, related site work, all preliminary costs and costs related to these improvements.
Renovations of the building cannot exceed $1,160,705, which is the said amount that may be offset by any federal, state, county, and/or local fund received. Trustee Nicholas P. Kelly is concerned that this is all the money they will get and thinks they should ask for five percent over, in case more needs to be spent to improve the building.
Beardsley has also applied for a $30,000 grant for the village to renovate the courtroom and there is currently a $7,000 grant in existence. “Every little bit helps,” she said.
Mayor Judy Phillips told the board that they will have to make the project work with the money they receive. “You don’t spend it if you don’t have it,” she said. Kelly agrees that they will have to pick and choose which projects to take on.
This resolution is also subject to a permissive referendum pursuant to New York law.